With an absence of arena shows over the past two years, Delta Goodrem didn’t hold back in giving every pop fan exactly what they’ve missed on the opening night of her Bridge Over Troubled Dreams Tour in Brisbane. With a setlist full of greatest hits, a big extravagant stage set-up, costume changes, a gospel army of backing vocalists, an electrifying live band, intimate and humorous crowd interaction, and a powerhouse voice that continues to impress; this wholesome show truly had it all. 

The 2 and a half hour extravaganza is Delta’s most theatrical show to-date, and welcomes fans into a world that fuses musicianship with all the bells and whistles that makes an arena show so exciting to watch. With her backing vocalists dressed in gospel church robes taking to the stage in front of a giant curtain for a dramatic overture, the curtains opened to reveal Delta on the piano playing ‘The Power’ and donning a giant dress. As she steered into the second verse of the song, the dress was ripped off her to reveal a sparkly pant and blouse moment, which felt like a little homage to the drag world who has openly embraced her throughout her career. 

Segueing straight into ‘Lost Without You’ and ‘Billionaire’, she effortlessly intertwined her greatest hits with the new ones from her recently released seventh studio album ‘Bridge Over Troubled Dreams’. Changing the lyrics up in ‘Billionaire’ to “My name is Delta baby… I can’t really change it at this point” she poked fun at the jokes that rolled in with the unfortunately named Delta variant. And that was the playful tone she set for the whole night which complimented the emotionally fuelled vulnerable moments, like when she went live for the nationwide Red Cross Flood Appeal and performed ‘Crash’ and ‘Dear Life’. 

Photo credit: Kinga Nowicka

She reimagined old hits like ‘Innocent Eyes’ with an added rap from one of her backing vocalists, paid homage to Elton John with a ‘Dear Elton’ and a cover of ‘I’m Still Standing’, had the crowd learning choreography during ‘Solid Gold’, and had them screaming out every lyric to the classic hits ‘Predictable’, ‘Out Of The Blue’, ‘Not Me, Not I’, and the underrated dance anthem ‘Think About You’. But the show’s standout moment was when her and her partner/guitarist Matthew Copley recreated their Bunkerdown Sessions. With the stage curtains shut and their living room set-up replicated, they performed the unreleased ‘Window Sill’, a cover of ’Down Under’, as well as fan favourites ‘All Of My Friends’, ‘Mistaken Identity’ and ‘Together We Are One’. This intimate moment was where their chemistry lit up the room without all of the added production, and it was stunning. 

Following her fourth costume change for the night, she closed out the show with ‘Enough’, ‘Wings’ and ‘Born To Try’. The production value for the show was major, with 3 giant LED screens, 2 stair cases, an arched bridge, and a moving piano adding another glittery element on top of the strong artistry. But when you strip it all away, you are still captivated by her raw talent, and her undeniable charisma. The banter between Delta and the audience was electric in times where slight production things went wrong, or little lyrics were forgotten. She had them laughing, smiling, and crying while they reminisced on all the memories they’ve experienced with her music, and that’s a beautiful and powerful thing. 

The Bridge Over Troubled Dreams Tour is simply Delta Goodrem’s best tour yet. She’s taken elements of things she’s learnt from every tour in the past, and curated a night full of euphoric highs and big singalong’s for pop fans who’ve been longing to be inside an arena together again. And as Delta might put it; together we are one. And this show genuinely felt like a celebration of unity in a time where we all truly need to feel it. 

Bridge Over Troubled Dreams Tour

Monday 14 March – Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast

Friday 18 March – Royal Theatre, Canberra

Saturday 19 March – WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong 

Tuesday 22 March – RAC Arena, Perth

Friday 25 March – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide

Saturday 26 March – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 

Tuesday 5 April – Townsville Entertainment & Exhibition Centre, Townsville

Friday 8 April – Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle

Saturday 9 April – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

For full touring and tickets details visit HERE